King Karthika Thirunal Ramavarma (1724 -1798) composed seven Kathakali plays. But Kaplingadu Narayanan Namboodiri, the king’s consultant in matters relating to Kathakali, choreographed just a few scenes of Narakasuravadham and Rajasuyam, presumably noting their obvious stage-worthiness. While a regional version of Rajasuyam became popular in the North, select scenes of Narakasuravadham, however, held sway over almost all the prestigious venues. Narakasura won recognition as a trend-setting major character appearing in ‘kurum kathi’ make-up, showcasing all distinctive features that make the role assignable only to an ace actor. A recent performance of Narakasuravadham in the capital city commenced with the entry of Nakratundi (literally ‘one with jaws resembling those of an alligator’), a ferocious demoness. Naraka, the demon king, had deputed her to the heavens for capturing damsels to augment his harem, which boasted of over 16,000 women. Kalamandalam Sabarinath as Jayantha and Kalamandalam Balakrishnan as Nakratundi in Narakasuravadham | Photo Credit: Jawaharji K On her way back along with the damsels, Nakratundi comes across handsome Jayanta, son of Indra. She assumes the form of a beautiful maiden and accosts him only to be rejected by him. The angry and disappointed demoness adopts her original form and attempts to take him along forcibly. Jayanta quickly overpowers her and mutilates her. Naraka is provoked to avenge this cruelty meted out to Nakratundi and the subsequent events, culminating in Krishna slaying the demon, constitute the remaining episodes. But, as in most cases, the present performance also ended with Narakasura’s conquest of the heavens. Kalamandalam Balakrishnan, who essayed Nakratundi, was running short of time. He had to be content with presenting some of the traditional antics of a female ‘kari’ (negative) character. The stage attendants appeared untrained to hold the curtain folded vertically, enabling Nakratundi to focus on her personal traits one by one before the audience, peeping through either side of the curtain in turn. Kalamandalam Krishnakumar played the challenging role of Naraka diligently and effortlessly. His debut was typically northern in style. The peacock dance embedded in visualising the padam in the slowest tempo adhered strictly to convention; the transformation of his mood from erotic to heroism on seeing a mutilated Nakratundi was astonishing. Krishnakumar vividly presented the demon’s response to the situation as is the practice in the Kalamandalam style. Diligent presentation The veteran actor in him came to the forefront in enacting the preparation for the battle, leading his formidable army forward, breaking open the closed door of the heavens by a single hit with his fists, putting the king of the gods to shame by elaborately reminiscing the episode of the latter’s dalliance with Ahalya, humbling Indra’s mighty four-tusker, seizure of all the heavenly treasures including Parijata – the desire-fulfilling tree, and, above all, slicing off the ear ornaments along with the ears of Aditi, the gods’ mother. The agility, attention to details, subtle acting and stamina of the thespian impressed the audience. The role of Naraka’s queen is relatively minor and included visualisation of her invitation to an amorous game. The scene was handled dexterously by Kalamandalam Vishnumon. Kalamandalam Krishnakumar as Narakasura and Kalamandalam Vishnumon as his queen in Narakasuravadham | Photo Credit: Jawaharji K. Kalamandalam Vipin’s depiction of Lalitha, the demoness disguised as an enchantress, was flawless. Vipin captured the attention of the rasikas right from the traditional ‘sari’ dance and retained it till his exit. Kalamandalam Sabarinath appeared as Jayanta and Indra, showcasing their predominant features. Kalamandalam Vipin as Lalitha in Narakasuravadham | Photo Credit: Jawaharji K Kalamandalam Babu Nambudiri and Kalamandalam Visvas rendered the play-text to impressive music. The team consisting of Kalamandalam Venumohan and Kalamandalam Srihari on the chenda and Margi Rathnakaran, RLV JIthin and Srikantheswaram Mohanachandran on the maddalam presented their best. The programme was held under the aegis of Drisyavedi.

Stay updated with all the Latest Thiruvananthapuram headlines here. For more exclusive & live news updates from all around India, stay connected with NYOOOZ.